It’s called the Stokke Xplory – and it hopes to do for high-end strollers what the SUV did for the auto industry.

In other words, it’s massive, high and expensive.

For $749 – the cost of more than two Maclaren strollers, once the highest of the high end – you get a big-wheeled off-roader that looks like a tall vacuum cleaner. But that awkward-looking design is the Xplory’s selling point – it allows your beloved baby or terrific toddler to ride high above the roaring traffic.

Despite the price (or, perhaps, because of it), the buzz has begun – even though the Xplory won’t be available until the fall.

“Our waiting list already has dozens of names, even though we’ve only been taking orders for three weeks,” said Ari Tavasi, a co-owner of Planet Kids on the Upper East Side. “That’s amazing for a new stroller.”

But if you ask the people at Stokke – a Norwegian company – this is an amazing new stroller, thanks to the high-sitting position. “A trip to the store is now an exciting adventure!” gushes the promotional material.

New Yorkers who’ve seen the Xplory are more realistic. “The shape resembles a car seat perched on top of an IV stand,” said one writer on a Weblog for new fathers, DaddyTypes.com.

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Tale of the tape

Stroller: Maclaren Techno

Price: $289

Best features: Folds up handily and easily; much lighter; big storage basket below